Self-propelled wheeled irrigation systems are old and well known in the art. Such systems were originally designed to provide irrigation for large parcels of land, particularly farmland. Such irrigation systems most often take the form of a central pivot irrigation system or a linear move irrigation system. In both types of systems, an elevated main water conduit or pipe is movably supported by one or more tower structures that include self-propelled tires or support wheels. Often, these irrigation vehicles are used in conditions where the surface upon which they traverse is not capable of supporting the weight of the self-propelled tire or wheel supported irrigation systems and they can become mired and/or lose traction. And, because the irrigation vehicles travel along prescribed paths, the tires or drive wheels tend to form ruts. This is exacerbated when portions of the path become wet and waterlogged. In such situations, the tires or drive wheels loose traction and one or more towers of the irrigation vehicle can lag behind the general motion of the vehicle, which can cause undue stress and strain on the towers and the main elevated water conduit or pipe, and could lead to failure. In some situations, a drive wheel section can become stuck, which again, can lead to failure of the vehicle. Undue stress and strain can also be result of tires or support wheels that have gone flat or lost significant amounts of air pressure, which can also cause one or more towers of the irrigation vehicle to lag behind the general motion of the vehicle. Therefore, tires or support wheels must be periodically checked to insure that they are properly inflated and that they have sufficient tread to operate as designed.
It will be appreciated from the foregoing, therefore, that prior art self-propelled wheeled irrigation vehicles present problems that are in need of solutions and there is a need for a self-propelled irrigation vehicle that is able to be used in conditions that would not otherwise be possible.